Stable cleaning conveyer



May 15, 1934. D. R. PoMl-:ROY

STABLE CLEANING CONVEYER Filed Dec. 15, 1930 ,i BY

.o o ono o o 0:10 IIIV' +I NN NN NN Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for removing manure from dairy stables, and has for one object the provision of a simple and effective way of conveying manure continuously from the stable to a suitable pit. A further object is to provide a device of this general character which will not be subject to clogging and consequent stoppage or breakage of the conveyer. A further object is to provide a device of the general character which can be cleaned readily. A further object is to provide a device of this character which will lie wholly below the floor level so as to cause no interference with the complete accessibility of the stable. Additional objects will appear from the following description and claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the conveyer, taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 2 is a section transversely through the conveyer illustrating its association with the stalls and alley.

The stall floor is indicated at 10 (Fig. 2), being preferably of concrete and formed on a slight slant. Stanchions 11 are positioned as usual at spaced intervals to retain the cattle. To the rear of the stalls is a gutter 12 by which the stalls are separated from the alley floor 13. The walls 14 of the gutter are preferably formed of poured concrete to provide a water-tight channel, the bottom of which slopes gradually towards the manure pit 15 (Fig. 1) at which the gutter ends. This pit is preferably located outside the stable.

At the two ends of the gutter are journaled cross shafts 16, 17, one of which is driven continuously at a slow rate by a suitable unillustrated source of power. Each shaft bears a pair of sprockets 18, one adjacent each wall of the gutter. Chains 19 pass around the sprockets, passing in their upper run over a false floor composed of blocks 20 and in their lower run underneath this floor. The blocks 2G are supported upon ledges 21 projecting inwardly from the walls 14 and preferably formed integrally therewith. Attached to spaced links of the chains are pusher plates 22 bridging the two chains and having a projecting portion 23 extending between the chains so as to lie closely adjacent the upper surfaces of the blocks 20 as the chains pass o-ver them. The upper portions of the plates are preferably curved, as is best shown in Fig. 1, in order not to injure the feet of the cattle in the event that the latter might step into the gutter.

The pusher plates are given a continuous motion over the false iioor 20, carrying out into the pit 15 any manure which may fall into the gutter.

Due to the open character of the chain and pusher arrangement, there is no chance for clogging, as has resulted with prior proposals which utilized what is in effect a moving floor in the gutter. It is preferred to make no attempt to separate the liquid and solid constituents of the manure, the false floor 20 being substantially watertight. Any seepage through this floor, however, will be carried away by the sloping gutter bottom. By not making the successful working of the device de pendent upon the separations of the solid and liquid constituents, one difficulty of prior devicesthe plugging up of the drainage holes-is cornpletely avoided. When it is necessary for sanitary reasons to clean the gutter, the chains 19 may be disconnected at one point and removed. This permits the blocks 20 to be taken up, exposing the entire bottom of the gutter so that a thorough cleansing may be given.

What I claim is:

1. A stable cleaning conveyer comprising a gutter in the form of a substantially liquid-tight vertical-walled U-shaped channel, a pair of spaced sprockets at each end of the gutter, chains passing over the sprockets with their upper runs riding on the surface of the channel licor closely adjacent the channel walls and with their lower runs passing beneath the floor, and spaced pusher plates secured at their rear edges to the upper face of the chains and extending across the entire width of the channel, said pusher plates being arched above the surface of the chains and having their free depending forward edges notched at the corners to permit the intermediate portion to extend downwardly between the chains to a position closely adjacent the surface of the channel floor.

2. A stable cleaning conveyer comprising a gutter in the form of a substantially liquid-tight vertical-walled U-shaped channel, spaced conveyer chains traveling over the surface of the channel floor and spaced pusher members secured to said chains and extending across the entire width of the channel, said pusher members comprising plates secured at their rear edges to the upper face r of the chains and arched upwardly above the chains, the free depending edges of the plates being notched to permit the po-rtion intermediate the notches to extend downwardly between the chains to a position closely adjacent the surface of the channel floor.

3. In a stable cleaning conveyer which includes spaced traveling chains, pusher members comprising plates secured at their rear edges to the upper face of the chains and arched upwardly above the chains, said plates extending upwardly, forwardlyv and downwardly, the free depending edges of the plates being litted around the chains to position the side and lower edges of the plates respectively closely adjacent the planes dened by the side and lower surfaces of the chains.

DAVID RUBEN POMEROY. 

